


Shatter Me

by orphan_account



Series: k does bad things bingo [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Hiding an injury, Touch-Starved, broken ribs, double agent Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 09:32:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15410001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After being a double agent for the Resistance, Ben is injured during an extraction mission. He rarely touches other people, and finds Rey's healing overwhelming- but in a good way.





	Shatter Me

"Rose, I want you to take your squadron to the second quadrant." The 3-D holographic map in Rey's palm lit her face as she calmly gave orders. "Finn- head upspace, I need someone with an eye for subterfuge guarding the meteor pass." He nodded, and she leaned into him for the space of a breath, their energy fields melting together before they drew apart. "The asset and I will proceed to our secret base and wait until the First Order is distracted. If we're going get him back to headquarters, we need to make them think he's still here."

Her troops saluted and headed off, jogging across the cracked stone.

 

In the past, watching the casual, easy way Rey drew strength and comfort from her best friend would have sent Ben into a fit of rage. But after watching Finn punch Hux in his ugly little face, Ben couldn't hold that much of a grudge. Besides, keeping himself from bleeding, keeping the wound out of his thoughts so that he could match the tempo of Rey's brisk strides- it occupied his mind too much from anything else.

It wasn't fatal. Just agonizing. Almost as agonizing as the confident, self-contained way Rey walked beside him.

"Rey?"

"Mmm?" She kept her eyes trained on the horizon, scanning for threats.

"I…" When he swallowed, the movement made the deep gash up his ribcage twinge, and he bit back a scream. "I made the wrong call. Should've let you extract me earlier."

 

Shortly after being installed as head of the First Order, he'd realized he'd made a horrible mistake, and secretly got in contact with Rey, offering to feed her new rebellion information to foil Hux's plans. She assumed it was out of spite and the desire to create chaos and piss people off, or that Hux wasn't respecting him properly. He would never actually say that touching her hand for one infinite second had changed his life.

 

Rey stopped walking suddenly. He stumbled. It was hard to keep standing.

"We're here."

"Really?"

In response, she- effortlessly, damn her, brilliant infuriating girl- levitated a single boulder, revealing the opening to a cave. Inside, he lay back on an unrolled sleeping bag, trying to look like he was lounging regally instead of waiting until he could collapse in pain and tend to the throbbing injury that ached more with every breath. Rey did some scavenger thing where she prodded at a bunch of twigs and dry moss until it burst into flame, then heated a MRE packet over the fire.

Watching her eat was an experience. One moment there was food. The next moment her cheeks were stuffed, and it all vanished in a single swallow. Almost enough to distract him from how the coarse material of his shirt constantly abraded his open wound.

"Do you want any?"

Even breathing was a struggle. "No. I'm good."

Then her darting, constantly alert eyes fixed fully on him. Her gaze was so fiercely intense he couldn't help shivering. She rose in a single graceful movement, stalked close, loomed over him. "Take off your shirt."

Her hair was coming loose from its double buns, her eyeliner smudged, sweat on her face and the hollows of her neck. She could have killed him.

"I'm fine," he muttered. As they fought their way out of the battle cruiser, he'd woven in front of her, taken the blow from a First Order chainsword. It was good that she hadn't noticed. All he'd ever done was hurt people. He deserved this agony with every breath.

"I said, take off your shirt." Her voice echoed strangely, crisp vowels reverbating like opalescent spheres around his head. Before he knew it, he'd reached for the hemline, started to pull upwards. "Ah, fuck! Kriffing force- fuck-" Because it wasn't just the cut. Of course. He couldn't be that lucky. The sword's weight had cracked at least three of his ribs, and now even trying to catch his breath made him wince.

She caught him before he could collapse, her small rough hands skimming his collarbones. Rey, overwhelming. "Shh, dumbass. I've got you."

At once any desire to resist left him.  He could only watch the look of concentration on her small, adorable face as she sliced away his undershirt with a pocketknife, bit her lip. Then her fingers splayed over his chest, and the thrum of her all-consuming light grew even stronger.

If it took a shattered rib to have her stroking his skin like this, it was worth it. He would have thrown his life away for just the chance to be touched like this, gently and carefully, like he was a broken machine worthy of this little scavenger's repair.

The blinding glow that surrounded her faded, leaving his skin whole and unblemished; when he took a deep, shaky breath, it was entirely devoid of pain. Don't be weird, don't be weird… "You're not a bad healer, considering who taught you."

"Naturally gifted," she murmured with an adorable little smirk, and slumped forward, clearly exhausted.

On top of him.

Sleepy, she shifted, trying to get comfortable. He didn't dare move a single muscle. Soft incredible Rey, the star who was a girl. Leaning the full weight of her compact body against him, letting him linger in the warmth and pressure.

As if he was someone who deserved to be touched. 


End file.
